"I believe Water Street should be a street on the water instead of placing an obstacle between us and the water." - Mobile Councilman John Williams

Traffic along Water Street in downtown Mobile, Ala. (file photo)

MOBILE, Alabama – A social media question posed by Carol
Hunter about seven years ago sparked an interesting discussion that continues
to this day.

"I did a Facebook question and asked, 'what is your favorite
park or green space in downtown Mobile?'" Hunter, communications director with
the Downtown Mobile Alliance, said. "The biggest response I got was, 'I want
Cooper Riverside Park to be my favorite but I can't get there.' There is a real
desire ... that we want to get to our riverfront."

She added, "The desire has not gone away but the opportunity
is here now."

The opportunity publicly surfaced Monday and was discussed by the Mobile City Council on Tuesday as city officials began embracing the possibility
of moving forward with some changes to Water Street that would better connect
downtown Mobile to its developing waterfront.

Council members responded to comments from Mayor Sandy
Stimpson -- who gathered from a group of seven mayors and assorted planners and
professionals during a seminar on city design in San Antonio, Texas, last week --
that the city's No. 1 challenge in connecting its assets is the current
configuration of the six-lane Water Street.

"It took them a half-second to recognize the problem is
Water Street," Stimpson said. "It comes down to walkability. We are not
walker-friendly in my mind."

Good timing

While proposals to add more pedestrian-friendly features
along Water Street is nothing new, city officials claim that the "timing is
right" to press the issue forward.

They cite the pending $30 million reconfiguration of the
Interstate 10 interchange at the Wallace Tunnel, which could be under
construction by November.

In a nutshell, the project will remove all bridges and ramps
off of I-10 from Texas Street to the western entrance of the tunnel and
lengthens the acceleration lane by backing up the Wallace Tunnel entrance ramp
to Canal Street.

The project is anticipated to last for three years, at which
time the city of Mobile could move ahead with alterations to Water Street.

Don Powell, pre-construction engineer for the Alabama
Department of Transportation's Mobile area district, said the project will also
include added sidewalks, bike paths and pedestrian walkway features along Canal
and Water Street north to around the Government Street intersection. After that
point, the project ends.

Additional changes to Water Street would be a city responsibility.

It's a concept that council members seem to initially
embrace, although it's unclear on how much any of it would cost.

"I would love to see something happen to make it more
walkable and make it possible for people to go across the street so they can go
to the different amenities," Council President Gina Gregory said.

Councilman John Williams agreed.

"I believe Water Street should be a street on the water
instead of placing an obstacle between us and the water," he said. "I don't
know if (transforming the street) to two lanes is acceptable, but we need to
turn the trucks around and they need to go into a different direction."

Exploring solutions

Stimpson said the key is plan for a better connectivity between
the waterfront and the downtown area once the GulfQuest Maritime Museum opens
later this year.

"We have almost $100 million of assets not being used (along
the waterfront)," Stimpson said. "To sit here and say we'll not do something different
falls short of solving the problem."

What kind of solution, though, is not determined.

Stimpson said he's
not advocating for reducing the number of Water Street's lanes, but he said he is
interested in bringing some experts who could help the city formulate a
long-range plan for the street's future.

He said during his meeting with the other mayors in Texas, officials
cited the reduction of traffic lanes at Times Square: The internationally
famous commercial intersection in New York City saw a reduction in traffic
lanes in 2009, increasing the ease of pedestrian walkability through the area.

"It's being done around the world to make downtowns more
walkable and to make sure people do not feel threatened by the volume (of
traffic) on the streets," Stimpson said. "It's something we got to do if we are
reo realize the importance of having a walkable downtown."

Councilman Joel Daves said that two intersections will be
particularly important for connecting downtown to the waterfront: Dauphin and
Water and Government and Water.

"If we can get people walking down Dauphin Street and to
continue across to Cooper Riverside Park and then ... to a (possible) restaurant
at the (Arthur R. Outlaw Mobile) Convention Center or other entertainment
venues on the other side, I think that is all to the good," Daves said.

If changes happen, it might not pose a significant problem on truck traffic traveling to the State Docks.

Judith Adams, spokeswoman with the Alabama State Port
Authority, said that "a significant amount of our truck traffic" doesn't travel
along Water Street. She said a majority of truck traffic moves north toward the
Interstate 65 corridor.

More solutions

The timing of Stimpson's comments also come as renowned
urban planner Andres Duany visited Mobile Tuesday to meet with the Downtown
Mobile Alliance, Stimpson and other city officials.

Hunter said one concept that initially surfaced was for a "beautiful
landscaped gateway" at the Government and Water intersection. Another idea, she
said, was for the construction of an elevated park similar to High Line Park in
New York City.

But Stimpson said the feedback he received in Texas was not
favorable toward elevated walkway features, like the connection from the
convention center to a parking garage on the west side of Water Street.

"They really do think that you have to be on the ground
level (to have a walkable downtown)," Stimpson said.